At the conclusion of its fourth season in 1976, "M*A*S*H" finished a disappointing fourteenth in the Nielsen ratings, a sizable step down from ranking fourth and fifth in the two years prior. It wasn't the show's fault. The series was still one of the most critically acclaimed sitcoms on television; it earned eight Primetime Emmy awards for that season and won two. The reason for the ratings slip was some puzzling time slot shuffling by CBS, which moved "M*A*S*H" from its Tuesday perch to Friday, a notoriously off night for TV viewing. When the series' audience precipitously declined, the network moved it back to Tuesday halfway through the season, where it quickly recovered. All, it appeared, was well with the 4077th.
Except it wasn't, at least not with series creator Larry Gelbart. The veteran TV comedy writer was getting sick of the medium and feeling hemmed in by his hit series.
Except it wasn't, at least not with series creator Larry Gelbart. The veteran TV comedy writer was getting sick of the medium and feeling hemmed in by his hit series.
- 11/18/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The first time I saw Alan Arkin onscreen, he scared the hell out of me.
The veteran Academy Award-winning actor, who died Thursday at the age of 89, is best known these days for his wittily avuncular presence in films like Little Miss Sunshine and such television shows as The Kominsky Method, his last great acting role. But my first exposure to him came in middle school, where for some inexplicable reason the powers that be decided that treating the entire student body to a screening of the film Wait Until Dark was a good idea.
In that classic 1967 thriller, Arkin played Harry Roat, the most sadistic member of a trio of villains terrorizing a blind Audrey Hepburn because they think she possesses a doll filled with heroin. In a climactic scene set in almost near-darkness, a seemingly dead Roat suddenly jumps into the frame and grabs Hepburn by the leg.
The veteran Academy Award-winning actor, who died Thursday at the age of 89, is best known these days for his wittily avuncular presence in films like Little Miss Sunshine and such television shows as The Kominsky Method, his last great acting role. But my first exposure to him came in middle school, where for some inexplicable reason the powers that be decided that treating the entire student body to a screening of the film Wait Until Dark was a good idea.
In that classic 1967 thriller, Arkin played Harry Roat, the most sadistic member of a trio of villains terrorizing a blind Audrey Hepburn because they think she possesses a doll filled with heroin. In a climactic scene set in almost near-darkness, a seemingly dead Roat suddenly jumps into the frame and grabs Hepburn by the leg.
- 6/30/2023
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
11 years before Harrison Ford hit the hyperdrive to stardom via George Lucas' "Star Wars," he made his amusingly unassuming big-screen debut in the James Coburn vehicle "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round." Directed by Bernard Girard, the film is a standard-issue con-man yarn designed to go as far as Coburn's considerable charm will take it and not an inch further. If you enjoy watching Coburn be Coburn, it's diverting enough, but the only reason it's at all notable today is for Ford's 30-second appearance as a bellboy.
This bit part was a test run of sorts for Ford, who'd joined Columbia Pictures' New Talent Program a year prior. By 1965, studios were getting out of the talent-development business, an old-fashioned system that required performers to report to the set every weekday in a suit or dress, and busy themselves with acting classes and promotional photoshoots. Ford was hardly a standout amongst his peers,...
This bit part was a test run of sorts for Ford, who'd joined Columbia Pictures' New Talent Program a year prior. By 1965, studios were getting out of the talent-development business, an old-fashioned system that required performers to report to the set every weekday in a suit or dress, and busy themselves with acting classes and promotional photoshoots. Ford was hardly a standout amongst his peers,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
At the time, “Tootsie” seemed similar to many films I worked on, but looking back years later, I realize how unique it really was. Sydney Pollack directed the seven-month-long production; an unexpectedly turbulent clash of confrontational viewpoints, unrelenting pressure, outrageous comedic moments, and heart-stopping tension. At this point in his career, Sydney always had creative control over his films, but there were some unusual contractual obligations in place before he signed on to direct that meant he had to share the creative control with Dustin Hoffman, the film’s brilliant and disarmingly uninhibited star who was a long-time promoter of the original “Tootsie” script. Both men were also well-known for their assertive personalities.
There were lesser-known participants who brought strong viewpoints to the production as well; among them was screenwriter Murray Schisgal, a close friend of Dustin’s. During the months of filming, Hoffman and Schisgal spent many weekends at...
There were lesser-known participants who brought strong viewpoints to the production as well; among them was screenwriter Murray Schisgal, a close friend of Dustin’s. During the months of filming, Hoffman and Schisgal spent many weekends at...
- 10/3/2022
- by David McGiffert
- The Wrap
Who will be included for the special “In Memoriam” segment for Sunday night’s Oscars 2021 ceremony? With last year’s Academy Awards happening over 14 months ago, it means an even larger number of film veterans have died. Producers will hopefully be offering a longer remembrance and not leaving out people for the sake of time.
Superstar actor Chadwick Boseman died late last summer and is a nominee as Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Previous Oscar winners from acting categories show who will likely be honored include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Past acting nominees include Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm, Shirley Knight, George Segal, Cicely Tyson, Max von Sydow and Stuart Whitman.
SEE2021 Oscars presenters: Last year’s winners Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt returning
Almost all of the near 100 people on the list below were Academy members.
Superstar actor Chadwick Boseman died late last summer and is a nominee as Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Previous Oscar winners from acting categories show who will likely be honored include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Past acting nominees include Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm, Shirley Knight, George Segal, Cicely Tyson, Max von Sydow and Stuart Whitman.
SEE2021 Oscars presenters: Last year’s winners Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt returning
Almost all of the near 100 people on the list below were Academy members.
- 4/23/2021
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Murray Schisgal, whose writing brought a 1964 Tony Award nomination for the Broadway play Luv and a 1982 Oscar nomination for the hit Dustin Hoffman comedy Tootsie, died Oct. 1 at a nursing home in Port Chester, New York. He was 93.
His death was announced by his son Zach Schisgal. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Schisgal, a Brooklyn native, first came to public notice in 1963 with the popular Off Broadway plays The Typists and The Tiger. Two years later his Broadway debut, the absurdist hit comedy Luv, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and for Best Author of a Play. Directed by Mike Nichols, Luv starred Eli Wallach, Ann Jackson and Alan Arkin.
A 1967 film version of Luv, starring Jack Lemmon, Elaine May and Peter Falk, directed by Clive Donner, was largely ignored, as was 1967’s The Tiger Makes Out, the film version of Schisgal’s play The Tiger starring Wallach and Jackson,...
His death was announced by his son Zach Schisgal. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Schisgal, a Brooklyn native, first came to public notice in 1963 with the popular Off Broadway plays The Typists and The Tiger. Two years later his Broadway debut, the absurdist hit comedy Luv, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and for Best Author of a Play. Directed by Mike Nichols, Luv starred Eli Wallach, Ann Jackson and Alan Arkin.
A 1967 film version of Luv, starring Jack Lemmon, Elaine May and Peter Falk, directed by Clive Donner, was largely ignored, as was 1967’s The Tiger Makes Out, the film version of Schisgal’s play The Tiger starring Wallach and Jackson,...
- 10/5/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Murray Schisgal, the comedy writer who received two Tony nominations for his work on the 1960s Broadway hit Luv and an Oscar nomination for his contribution to the screenplay for Tootsie, has died. He was 93.
Schisgal died Thursday in Port Chester, New York, his son, Zach, told The New York Times.
Luv, a three-hander that opened in 1964 and ran for more than 900 performances, starred husband and wife Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson opposite Alan Arkin. Mike Nichols won the Tony for best direction of a play, with Schisgal nominated for best play and best author of a play.
Luv was then adapted for ...
Schisgal died Thursday in Port Chester, New York, his son, Zach, told The New York Times.
Luv, a three-hander that opened in 1964 and ran for more than 900 performances, starred husband and wife Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson opposite Alan Arkin. Mike Nichols won the Tony for best direction of a play, with Schisgal nominated for best play and best author of a play.
Luv was then adapted for ...
- 10/5/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Murray Schisgal, the comedy writer who received two Tony nominations for his work on the 1960s Broadway hit Luv and an Oscar nomination for his contribution to the screenplay for Tootsie, has died. He was 93.
Schisgal died Thursday in Port Chester, New York, his son, Zach, told The New York Times.
Luv, a three-hander that opened in 1964 and ran for more than 900 performances, starred husband and wife Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson opposite Alan Arkin. Mike Nichols won the Tony for best direction of a play, with Schisgal nominated for best play and best author of a play.
Luv was then adapted for ...
Schisgal died Thursday in Port Chester, New York, his son, Zach, told The New York Times.
Luv, a three-hander that opened in 1964 and ran for more than 900 performances, starred husband and wife Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson opposite Alan Arkin. Mike Nichols won the Tony for best direction of a play, with Schisgal nominated for best play and best author of a play.
Luv was then adapted for ...
- 10/5/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
It's safe to say that the Tootsie musical that opened April 23 had an easier time getting to Broadway than the 1982 movie did getting to the silver screen.
It was, as they say, a "troubled" production. The film went through three potential directors in preproduction (Dick Richards, Hal Ashby and, finally, Sydney Pollack), eight writers (Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal were credited; Barry Levinson and Elaine May are among those who were not), and multiple script revisions.
At the time, the $21 million budget ($55 million today) was considered wildly extravagant for a comedy. The film centered on ...
It was, as they say, a "troubled" production. The film went through three potential directors in preproduction (Dick Richards, Hal Ashby and, finally, Sydney Pollack), eight writers (Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal were credited; Barry Levinson and Elaine May are among those who were not), and multiple script revisions.
At the time, the $21 million budget ($55 million today) was considered wildly extravagant for a comedy. The film centered on ...
- 4/26/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's safe to say that the Tootsie musical that opened April 23 had an easier time getting to Broadway than the 1982 movie did getting to the silver screen.
It was, as they say, a "troubled" production. The film went through three potential directors in preproduction (Dick Richards, Hal Ashby and, finally, Sydney Pollack), eight writers (Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal were credited; Barry Levinson and Elaine May are among those who were not), and multiple script revisions.
At the time, the $21 million budget ($55 million today) was considered wildly extravagant for a comedy. The film centered on ...
It was, as they say, a "troubled" production. The film went through three potential directors in preproduction (Dick Richards, Hal Ashby and, finally, Sydney Pollack), eight writers (Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal were credited; Barry Levinson and Elaine May are among those who were not), and multiple script revisions.
At the time, the $21 million budget ($55 million today) was considered wildly extravagant for a comedy. The film centered on ...
- 4/26/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Three more women have forward to accuse Dustin Hoffman of inappropriate sexual behavior.
The women, one of whom wished to remain anonymous, spoke to Variety about their alleged encounters with the two-time Oscar winner, which ranged from sexual harassment to assault.
Hoffman did not comment on the allegations, according to Variety, although his lawyer called them “defamatory falsehoods.”
A rep for Hoffman did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment.
Cori Thomas, friend of Hoffman’s daughter Karina, tells the outlet that Hoffman exposed himself to her when she was in high school. Thomas, now a playwright, claims...
The women, one of whom wished to remain anonymous, spoke to Variety about their alleged encounters with the two-time Oscar winner, which ranged from sexual harassment to assault.
Hoffman did not comment on the allegations, according to Variety, although his lawyer called them “defamatory falsehoods.”
A rep for Hoffman did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment.
Cori Thomas, friend of Hoffman’s daughter Karina, tells the outlet that Hoffman exposed himself to her when she was in high school. Thomas, now a playwright, claims...
- 12/15/2017
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
In the wake of Wednesday’s shocking allegation, a second woman has now accused Dustin Hoffman of sexual harassment.
Speaking to Variety, Wendy Riss Gatsiounis (Reign, Genius), claims that Hoffman propositioned her for sex during a period of time in 1991, when the two were working together with Murray Schisgal on a potential film adaptation of A Darker Purpose. The alleged encounter left Gatsiounis “close to tears,” and this deeply troubling allegation comes only a day after Dustin Hoffman was forced to apologize for inappropriate behavior.
I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.
That statement from Hoffman emerged on November 1st, when The Hollywood Reporter’s revelations placed the actor under the spotlight – alongside Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, and Harvey Weinstein, who have...
Speaking to Variety, Wendy Riss Gatsiounis (Reign, Genius), claims that Hoffman propositioned her for sex during a period of time in 1991, when the two were working together with Murray Schisgal on a potential film adaptation of A Darker Purpose. The alleged encounter left Gatsiounis “close to tears,” and this deeply troubling allegation comes only a day after Dustin Hoffman was forced to apologize for inappropriate behavior.
I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.
That statement from Hoffman emerged on November 1st, when The Hollywood Reporter’s revelations placed the actor under the spotlight – alongside Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, and Harvey Weinstein, who have...
- 11/3/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
A second woman has accused Dustin Hoffman of sexual harassment.
In an interview with Variety, Genius producer Wendy Riss Gatsiounis said the actor propositioned her during a work meeting in 1991. Riss Gatsiounis was in her 20s, while Hoffman was 53 at the time.
Riss Gatsiounis said she met with Hoffman and screenwriter Murray Schisgal on two separate occasions to discuss adapting her play A Darker Purpose into a feature film.
According to Variety, a spokesperson for Hoffman declined to comment. Schisgal told the publication in a statement: “Dustin Hoffman and I took many meetings with writers and playwrights over many years.
In an interview with Variety, Genius producer Wendy Riss Gatsiounis said the actor propositioned her during a work meeting in 1991. Riss Gatsiounis was in her 20s, while Hoffman was 53 at the time.
Riss Gatsiounis said she met with Hoffman and screenwriter Murray Schisgal on two separate occasions to discuss adapting her play A Darker Purpose into a feature film.
According to Variety, a spokesperson for Hoffman declined to comment. Schisgal told the publication in a statement: “Dustin Hoffman and I took many meetings with writers and playwrights over many years.
- 11/2/2017
- by Jodi Guglielmi
- PEOPLE.com
Dustin Hoffman has been accused of sexual harassment by television producer and writer Wendy Riss Gatsiounis (“Reign,” “Genius”). The producer told Variety that Hoffman allegedly harassed and propositioned her for sex during a period of time in 1991 when she was working with the actor and “Tootsie” screenwriter Murray Schisgal on a potential film adaptation of her play, “A Darker Purpose.”
According to Riss Gatsiounis, two meetings occurred between the three parties in 1991. The young writer was hoping the film version of “A Darker Purpose” would be her big break and she had scheduled meetings with Hoffman and Schisgal to hopefully get the development process started. Both meetings reportedly took place at the offices of Hoffman’s Punch Productions at Rockefeller Center in New York City. During the first meeting, Schisgal allegedly asked Riss Gatsiounis whether she had a boyfriend or husband, to which Hoffman reportedly said, “Murray, shut up. Don...
According to Riss Gatsiounis, two meetings occurred between the three parties in 1991. The young writer was hoping the film version of “A Darker Purpose” would be her big break and she had scheduled meetings with Hoffman and Schisgal to hopefully get the development process started. Both meetings reportedly took place at the offices of Hoffman’s Punch Productions at Rockefeller Center in New York City. During the first meeting, Schisgal allegedly asked Riss Gatsiounis whether she had a boyfriend or husband, to which Hoffman reportedly said, “Murray, shut up. Don...
- 11/2/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Television writer and producer Wendy Riss Gatsiounis became the second woman to publicly accuse Dustin Hoffman of sexual harassment on Tuesday, telling Variety about an incident she says took place in 1991. Riss Gatsiounis, currently an executive producer on the upcoming second season of National Geographic’s “Genius,” says the harassment occurred during a meeting with Hoffman and screenwriter Murray Schisgal (“Tootsie”) to talk about adapting her play, “A Darker Purpose,” into a movie. Riss Gatsiounis had met with them once before and, she says, came to the second meeting with a revised pitch, only to be cut off. “I go in,...
- 11/2/2017
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Film buffs who have argued long into the night over the funniest screenplays in the history of cinema no longer need to quarrel. That.s because the helpful folks over at The Writers Guild Of America have compiled a list of the 10 funniest screenplays ever written. And, as you.d expect, the usual suspects feature prominently. The East and West contingents of The Writers Guild Of America were able to put their differences aside to release their official list, which you can have a gander at below: 1. Annie Hall . 1977 . Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman 2. Some Like It Hot . 1959 . Written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond 3. Groundhog Day . 1993 . Written by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis 4. Airplane! . 1980 . Written by James Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker 5. Tootsie . 1982 - Written by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal 6. Young Frankenstein . 1974 . Written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks 7. Dr Strangelove or: How ...
- 11/12/2015
- cinemablend.com
Review: Sydney Pollack's "Tootsie" (1982) Starring Dustin Hoffman; Criterion Blu-ray Special Edition
"That Is One Nutty Hospital..."
By Raymond Benson
Comedy fans can now officially rejoice! The Criterion Collection has produced a fabulous Blu-ray edition of Sydney Pollack’s outstanding laugh riot, Tootsie, although one could safely say the picture not only belongs to Pollack, but to Dustin Hoffman, the movie’s star. It was his baby all the way, from its conception to its final, brilliantly written, acted, and directed finish. The American Film Institute voted Tootsie to be the Number 2 best comedy of all time (after Some Like it Hot, coincidentally another film in which men dress up as women!); whether or not you agree with that ranking, you have to admit it is a virtual lesson in how to make a good, funny movie.
The story is already well-known: struggling middle-aged actor Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) decides to dress up as a woman to audition for a soap opera, and...
By Raymond Benson
Comedy fans can now officially rejoice! The Criterion Collection has produced a fabulous Blu-ray edition of Sydney Pollack’s outstanding laugh riot, Tootsie, although one could safely say the picture not only belongs to Pollack, but to Dustin Hoffman, the movie’s star. It was his baby all the way, from its conception to its final, brilliantly written, acted, and directed finish. The American Film Institute voted Tootsie to be the Number 2 best comedy of all time (after Some Like it Hot, coincidentally another film in which men dress up as women!); whether or not you agree with that ranking, you have to admit it is a virtual lesson in how to make a good, funny movie.
The story is already well-known: struggling middle-aged actor Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) decides to dress up as a woman to audition for a soap opera, and...
- 12/30/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It's been nearly 31 years since Sydney Pollack's Tootsie made its debut, but still the comedy that earned ten Academy Award nominations.and a win for supporting actress Jessica Lange.is considered one of the best ever made. The setup seems silly, but its message about gender inequality still packs a punch. An actor (played by Dustin Hoffman) is fed up when he can't get cast, so he changes his niche by masquerading as a woman named Dorothy Michaels. As a fiery actress, he lands a coveted role on a popular soap opera, and finds it.s the role that changes his life in ways he'd never imagined. The former ladies man becomes an unexpected feminist when waking in another (wo)man's shoes shows him how skewed the world is against the so-called "fairer" sex. With a whip-smart script from Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and outstanding performances from Hoffman...
- 7/8/2013
- cinemablend.com
HollywoodNews.com: The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, is pleased to announce that the feature "Argo," directed by Ben Affleck, will receive the "Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award." "We are very proud to recognize the ensemble cast of "Argo," for their dramatic and outstanding performances," said Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Awards. The 2012 Hollywood Film Awards has also announced that it will honor director David O. Russell with the "Hollywood Director Award"; Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro with the "Hollywood Supporting Actor Award"; Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard with the "Hollywood Actress Award"; three-time Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams with the "Hollywood Supporting Actress Award"; producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with the "Hollywood Producers Award"; writer/director Judd Apatow with the "Hollywood Comedy Award"; actor John Hawkes with the "Hollywood Breakout Performance Award" for "The Sessions"; and Quvenzhané Wallis...
- 10/3/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
In the maddening, justly forgotten 1967 quirk-fest Luv, Jack Lemmon is introduced as a clumsy aggregation of writerly tics and eccentricities. His body freezes at random intervals. He goes blind when nervous. He’s terrified of dogs. He swings erratically from maudlin, self-pitying despair to singing, dancing giddiness. Whenever he has an opportunity to slip away, he attempts suicide. He’s eccentric at best and a cartoonish loonball at worst. Lemmon had few peers as a tragicomic physical comedian, but this oppressively zany dark comedy (even the title tries too damn hard), an adaptation of Tootsie writer Murray Schisgal’s ...
- 2/8/2012
- avclub.com
Us actor whose success as the scruffy TV detective Columbo was complemented by a wide range of stage and screen roles
Show-business history records that the American actor Peter Falk, who has died aged 83, made his stage debut the year before he left high school, presciently cast as a detective. Despite the 17-year-old's fleeting success, he had no thoughts of pursuing acting as a career – if only because tough kids from the Bronx considered it an unsuitable job for a man. Just 24 years later, Falk made his first television appearance as the scruffy detective, Columbo, not only becoming the highest paid actor on television – commanding $500,000 an episode during the 1970s – but also the most famous.
Inevitably the lieutenant dedicated to unravelling the villainy of the wealthy and glamorous dominated his career, although – unlike some actors – he escaped the straitjacket, or in his case shabby raincoat, of typecasting. In addition to stage work,...
Show-business history records that the American actor Peter Falk, who has died aged 83, made his stage debut the year before he left high school, presciently cast as a detective. Despite the 17-year-old's fleeting success, he had no thoughts of pursuing acting as a career – if only because tough kids from the Bronx considered it an unsuitable job for a man. Just 24 years later, Falk made his first television appearance as the scruffy detective, Columbo, not only becoming the highest paid actor on television – commanding $500,000 an episode during the 1970s – but also the most famous.
Inevitably the lieutenant dedicated to unravelling the villainy of the wealthy and glamorous dominated his career, although – unlike some actors – he escaped the straitjacket, or in his case shabby raincoat, of typecasting. In addition to stage work,...
- 6/26/2011
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
Director who captured swinging London's zeitgeist and remade classics for television
For a few years in the 1960s, Clive Donner, who has died aged 84 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was among the leading film directors of swinging London. Unfortunately, when London stopped swinging, so did Donner. The four films that made his name were a low-budget adaptation of Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker (1963); Nothing But the Best (1964), a wicked satire on the British class structure; the farcical What's New Pussycat? (1965); and the coming-of-age comedy Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968).
Already in his 30s when he started directing, Donner gained a reputation for being tuned in to "youth". His debut movie, The Secret Place (1957), a heist drama shot on location in the East End, had David McCallum as a Brandoesque leather-jacketed "crazy mixed-up kid".
The Heart of a Child (1958) concerned a boy and his St Bernard dog, Rudi,...
For a few years in the 1960s, Clive Donner, who has died aged 84 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was among the leading film directors of swinging London. Unfortunately, when London stopped swinging, so did Donner. The four films that made his name were a low-budget adaptation of Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker (1963); Nothing But the Best (1964), a wicked satire on the British class structure; the farcical What's New Pussycat? (1965); and the coming-of-age comedy Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968).
Already in his 30s when he started directing, Donner gained a reputation for being tuned in to "youth". His debut movie, The Secret Place (1957), a heist drama shot on location in the East End, had David McCallum as a Brandoesque leather-jacketed "crazy mixed-up kid".
The Heart of a Child (1958) concerned a boy and his St Bernard dog, Rudi,...
- 9/7/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
'Dostoevskian' French actor with an aura of tormented youth
With his emaciated but hypnotically handsome face and lithe body, the French actor Laurent Terzieff, who has died of respiratory infection aged 75, graced the stage and films for more than half a century. There was always an aura of tormented youth about Terzieff which he carried into the classic roles of his maturity such as Luigi Pirandello's Henry IV (1989) and Shakespeare's Richard II (1991). His perfect diction and rhythmic precision made his rendering of Jean Cocteau's narration of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex in Bob Wilson's production at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 1996 particularly exciting.
Terzieff's special talents were used by many of the great theatre producers of the day: Jean-Louis Barrault, Peter Brook, Roger Planchon, Maurice Garrel, Roger Blin and André Barsacq. He also directed dozens of plays, many at the Théâtre du Lucernaire in Montparnasse. Paradoxically, given his tormented persona as an actor,...
With his emaciated but hypnotically handsome face and lithe body, the French actor Laurent Terzieff, who has died of respiratory infection aged 75, graced the stage and films for more than half a century. There was always an aura of tormented youth about Terzieff which he carried into the classic roles of his maturity such as Luigi Pirandello's Henry IV (1989) and Shakespeare's Richard II (1991). His perfect diction and rhythmic precision made his rendering of Jean Cocteau's narration of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex in Bob Wilson's production at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 1996 particularly exciting.
Terzieff's special talents were used by many of the great theatre producers of the day: Jean-Louis Barrault, Peter Brook, Roger Planchon, Maurice Garrel, Roger Blin and André Barsacq. He also directed dozens of plays, many at the Théâtre du Lucernaire in Montparnasse. Paradoxically, given his tormented persona as an actor,...
- 7/21/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Saul Rubinek had a major epiphany during the intermission—yes, intermission—of Murray Schisgal's play "Luv"—starring Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, and Alan Arkin. At the time, Rubinek was a young Canadian actor visiting New York City. "People in the lobby were talking exactly like the people on stage," he recalls. "That had not yet happened in Canada. Theater was still being imported from America or Britain." Though Rubinek had no way of knowing that within a few years he'd be performing in homegrown Canadian theater, he was clearly drawn to the authenticity of indigenous plays. "I have nothing against imported art," he asserts, "but if that's all you're doing, it is decadent." Rubinek is refreshingly straightforward. Consider this: Though he is delighted to be playing Dr. Arthur "Artie" Nelson, the mysterious yet methodical Secret Service agent on Syfy's "Warehouse 13"—a program that evokes "The X-Files" with a...
- 7/16/2010
- backstage.com
Late screenwriter Larry Gelbart accused Dustin Hoffman of refusing to give him credit for writing Tootsie.
Gelbart died last month after a battle with cancer but in an interview conducted a year before his passing, he blamed the actor for declaring it was his pal Murray Schisgal who conceived of the 1982 comedy, about an entertainer who dresses as a woman to find work.
But Gelbart, who won an Academy Award for co-writing the film, was adamant the idea for the screenplay was his own.
He told Mike Sacks, "Tootsie is my vision, despite Dustin Hoffman's lifelong mission to deprive anybody of any credit connected with that movie, except for his close friend, the writer and producer Murray Schisgal.
"I say that because Dustin appeared with James Lipton on (TV series) Inside the Actors Studio in 2006 and declared that the Tootsie idea sprang from Schisgal's intestines. I don't know much about gastroenterology, but I do know that the central theme for Tootsie came from me. And the central theme was that Dustin's character, Michael Dorsey, would become a better man for having been a woman. That was the cornerstone of the film. All of the other details are just floating around that idea."
Gelbart shared his Best Original Screenplay Oscar with Schisgal and Don McGuire.
Gelbart died last month after a battle with cancer but in an interview conducted a year before his passing, he blamed the actor for declaring it was his pal Murray Schisgal who conceived of the 1982 comedy, about an entertainer who dresses as a woman to find work.
But Gelbart, who won an Academy Award for co-writing the film, was adamant the idea for the screenplay was his own.
He told Mike Sacks, "Tootsie is my vision, despite Dustin Hoffman's lifelong mission to deprive anybody of any credit connected with that movie, except for his close friend, the writer and producer Murray Schisgal.
"I say that because Dustin appeared with James Lipton on (TV series) Inside the Actors Studio in 2006 and declared that the Tootsie idea sprang from Schisgal's intestines. I don't know much about gastroenterology, but I do know that the central theme for Tootsie came from me. And the central theme was that Dustin's character, Michael Dorsey, would become a better man for having been a woman. That was the cornerstone of the film. All of the other details are just floating around that idea."
Gelbart shared his Best Original Screenplay Oscar with Schisgal and Don McGuire.
- 10/5/2009
- WENN
(Elliott Gould, above, as Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye.)
by Jon Zelazny
Editor’s note: this article originally appeared at EightMillionStories.com on November 14, 2008.
With the back-to-back success of his Oscar-nominated role in the off-beat wife-swapping hit Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and the even bigger off-beat hit Mash (1970), Brooklyn’s own Elliott Gould skyrocketed to worldwide fame.
While perhaps best known to those under 40 as Ross and Monica’s dad on “Friends,” or Vegas financier Reuben Tishkoff in the blockbuster Ocean’s 11 series, cine-scholars generally regard Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973) as Gould’s most iconic starring role. 2008 marks the 35th anniversary of their extraordinary modern-day reinterpretation of Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, Philip Marlowe.
Elliott Gould invited me to his home in west Los Angeles, where he generously spoke at length of his three major collaborations with Altman, who passed away two years ago.
I read...
by Jon Zelazny
Editor’s note: this article originally appeared at EightMillionStories.com on November 14, 2008.
With the back-to-back success of his Oscar-nominated role in the off-beat wife-swapping hit Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and the even bigger off-beat hit Mash (1970), Brooklyn’s own Elliott Gould skyrocketed to worldwide fame.
While perhaps best known to those under 40 as Ross and Monica’s dad on “Friends,” or Vegas financier Reuben Tishkoff in the blockbuster Ocean’s 11 series, cine-scholars generally regard Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973) as Gould’s most iconic starring role. 2008 marks the 35th anniversary of their extraordinary modern-day reinterpretation of Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, Philip Marlowe.
Elliott Gould invited me to his home in west Los Angeles, where he generously spoke at length of his three major collaborations with Altman, who passed away two years ago.
I read...
- 5/10/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Between 1981 and 2002, few TV seasons passed without Susan Sullivan appearing in the opening credits of a popular program. First she logged more than 200 episodes of the CBS prime-time soap Falcon Crest, playing Maggie Gioberti, a long-suffering, do-gooder wife forever caught in the crosshairs of a diabolical clan of vintners. Then a new generation of tube watchers came to know Sullivan as Kitty Montgomery, the comic personification of nose-turned-upward snobbishness, on more than 100 episodes of ABC's Dharma & Greg. Few actors enjoy more than one hit TV show; fewer still get the chance to shift genres so profoundly. That Sullivan also kept busy between series-regular gigs — playing Cameron Diaz's mother in My Best Friend's Wedding; a 12-year run as Tylenol spokeswoman — proves her not just industrious but keen at getting cast. As it is for so many actors, her overnight success was nearly 20 years in the making. A Long Island native,...
- 7/25/2008
- by Leonard Jacobs
- backstage.com
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